Lily's 6th Birthday

My little girl isn't so little any more!  We celebrated Lily's sixth birthday with friends from school and the class mascot, Ollie the Orangutan. The princess bash was a huge success, Lucas and Charlie headed to the Wild Insect Kingdom for some boy time, while Jane, Ayi, and I watched over seven princesses.  The girls were amazingly good, they played with Lily's princess castles and dolls, colored, and played with the kitchen.  They took a break to fuel up on sandwiches and goodies before ripping into the gifts.  We ended the party with a pink cake and seven happy girls!

Lily's class is the orangutan class, hence Ollie, the orangutan mascot.  Every Friday Ollie goes home with someone, and since it was Lily's birthday he came home with us and enjoyed a busy weekend.  Saturday we took everyone to the kids favorite place in Shanghai, the Ocean Aquarium, and spent an hour enjoying all the wonderful sea animals.  Ollie even found a long lost cousin hanging in a tree and posed for a picture to put in his journal.  Of course he also graciously posed for pics with the birthday girl too.  After the aquarium it was time for lunch and then a quick trip to the market where Ollie got a prime seat in the basket.  After such a busy day we headed home for naps.  Ollie and Lily snuggled together and got in a nice nap and feeling refreshed we headed out for dinner at The Blue Frog.  By the end of the weekend Ollie had a lot to put in his journal but, since he can't write Lily helped him out.  We pasted pictures of his weekend and then Lily wrote all about what we'd seen and done, finishing it off with a lovely drawing of Ollie.

More recently we spent some time exploring Puxi.  Sunday we headed to a breakfast place called Egghead Bagel that had, wait for it... bagels!  OK, it had more than bagels, it actually had an impressive menu that had many classic American breakfast foods.  Lily and I stuck with bagels, while Charlie and Lucas opted for a hot breakfast.  After out yummy breakfast we went to Tainzifang, a pedestrian shopping area.  This little block is a warren of alleyways filled with cool boutique shops selling unique (Beijing mask fruit forks) and some not so unique things (cheesy magnets). There was also a cool candy shop where we could watch them make candy and, yes, we brought some home.  There is also a variety of restaurants, but one in particular caught my eye.  It's called More than Toilet, and it is themed all around toilets.  The seats are toilets and you sit at a glass covered sink, and the food is even served in mini toilettes.  Oh yes, we will be going back to try it!

Getting back to a routine!

We've been back a few weeks now, jet lag is behind us, and we have quietly settled back into life in Shanghai.  Lily started at Dulwich, her fourth school, this August.  Dulwich is a large British run international school that covers age 2 up to high school seniors.  They have several schools around the world and they are absurdly expensive!  Thank goodness BASF takes care of the tuition.  Lily as always has adjusted to her new school incredibly well.  She likes her new teacher and is making new friends quickly.  She is the oldest in the class since they have a strict cut off of Sept 1 and her birthday is Sept 8.  Technically she is repeating kindergarten, but I've talked with her teacher already and she is aware that Lily is way ahead of the other kids.  I will be working closely with her teacher to make sure that Lily continues to be challenged at school and not bored.  My hope is that by the time we move home she won't be too far behind her American classmates.  

This year my little boy started school too.  Charlie was super excited to be going to school like his big sister.  He is really enjoying school and his new friends and feeling like a really big boy.  The nursery program is five days a week from 8:30-3, but I will pick him up after lunch tuesday and thursday since he still naps most days.  We'll see how he does with napping at school and home and adjust his schedule if needed.
I've also made new friends with many of the moms at the school and Lily and Charlie went on a playdate today with another sister and brother that are in their classes.

Lucas has been away on business in Malaysia this week, but we did manage to get in a family trip to the Oriental Pearl Tower before he left.  This was the third time Charlie and I have been, and Lily's second, but so far Lucas hasn't been able to join us.  It was nice to go as a family and check the tower off the China bucket list!  The kids enjoyed the views from the top and had fun pointing out the boats on the river.  We grabbed surprisingly good pizza in the base of the tower and then headed to the Shanghai History museum.  It was a really nice day and we look forward to seeing more of China through the year!

Summer in NH

What an amazing summer we had!  The kids and I spent a busy 5 weeks in NH visiting with family and friends.  We started our NH summer with a weekend trip to North Conway.  The trip got off to a rocky start with a quick trip to the ER when Charlie fell from a highchair and hit his head hard on a cement floor.  I've never been so scared in my life!  Luckily he has a hard head and was fine after a bit.  It was the last time I put him in a highchair.  By the next day it was as if nothing had happened, his only reminder of the fall was a small bump on the back of his head.  The next morning we spent the day with Thomas.  Charlie was beyond excited to see Thomas and Sir Topham Hat in person. It was a little boys nirvana.  We climbed aboard an engine, took a ride on a railcar, and even got a ride on Thomas!  Charlie came home with a new Percy toy, and a few other goodies including a balloon almost as big as him.  Lily enjoyed herself too, sinking four hole in ones on the mini golf course and getting a butterfly painted on her face.

That afternoon and the whole following day we spent at Story Land.  This year Charlie was tall enough to go on all of the rides and was not about to miss even one.  We got soaked on Dr. Geyser's Raft ride, spun ourselves sick on the Turtle Twirl and screamed on the Polar coaster.  By the end of the day we were all exhausted.  The kids went home with my folks, while Lucas and I headed a bit farther north to the Mount Washington Resort for an anniversary getaway.  We had an amazing meal in the main dinning room with a view that over looked the mountains.  After dinner we sat out on the back terrace and enjoyed the sunset before exploring the historic hotel.  We checked out the Cave, which used to be a hidden prohibition speakeasy, and walked through what would have been private dinning rooms originally, and took in some of the historic photos that are all around the hotel.  We headed back to our room to enjoy the chocolate covered strawberries and champagne from my folks and some other yummy treats, a gift from the hotel, for celebrating our anniversary with them.  

Of course we also hit many of the "local" favorites while in NH, including Parker's Maple Barn, which has been around since I was a little kid, and has possibly the best breakfast in NH.  We also made a couple of stops to Hayward's for gigantic ice cream cones, another icon from my childhood.  Of course, what summer could be complete without trips to Silver Lake.  We made two trips to the lake.  The kids had a blast playing in the water, tracking fish, digging holes, and having picnic lunches.  We also spent plenty of time playing in the yard with bubbles, bikes, chalk, and their arrest me red mustang.  They even had fun helping Grammy mow the lawn and water her flowers. Mom and I also spent a day with the kids in Boston shopping at Faneuil Hall and eating at Quincy Market (I got my chowda fix!) and then taking a ride on the Duck boats.  We even swung by the Boston Aquarium to watch the sea lions swim for a bit, and made a quick detour to the North End for some Italian pastries before we headed home.

While my folks spent a weekend in the Hamptons for a friends wedding I kept the kids busy by taking them to see the Clydesdales at Anheuser Busch.  It was a much bigger hit than I thought it would be.  The kids were absolutely fascinated by the huge horses and got to watch two of them get bathed.  We even got to see some of the horses practice around the complex hitched to one of the wagons they use in parades.  We weren't alone for long though, that Sunday my sister and brother-in-law flew in for a few days to surprise Dad for his 60th birthday.  Dad was totally surprised by the unexpected visit and enjoyed a fantastic birthday dinner at The Bedford Village Inn and then dessert with the kids and good friends.  But, I think the highlight of the day was the box of letters from family and friends that Holly spent months putting together.  As he so eloquently put it, the gifts he was given were nice, but eventually they will either break or be tossed, but the letters he got from everyone will be with him forever.

A big thank you to my wonderful brother-in-law Steven for suggesting a day at Canobie Lake Park.  I can remember visiting this park as a kid and on school trips and I had forgotten how much they have for young kids to do.  The kiddie land has been expanded and they still have all the old favorites I remember as a kid, including the duck and fishing well games.  The kids had so much fun on the kiddie rides and I loved that I didn't have to go on the rides with them, such a nice reprieve!  We did a few of the "big kid" rides too, including the Boston Tea Party, a huge log ride that soaks you to the bone.  Steve and I spent the rest of the day trying to dry off, Uncle Steve gets a gold star for going with us!  We also enjoyed a few rounds of skee ball, a ride on the train, and of course we had the requisite ice cream and powdered fried dough.  By the time we left the park we were all exhausted, had tired feet, and two kids covered in powder sugar!

When we'd walked around Boston Lily noticed the boats going on whale watches and really wanted to go.  Since we had already planned the Duck boat and Grammy and boats (on the open ocean) don't get along we had to pass.  So, Papa "volunteered" to take the kids with me on a whale watch out of Rye, NH. We headed up early and had a picnic lunch at Ordiorne State Park and then said goodbye to Grammy at the dock as two very excited kids headed out to see whales.  Before we even pulled away from the dock though Lily lost her second tooth.  Something she had been nursing for a month and a half!  The whale watch was a big hit, we saw a bunch of Minke whales and even saw two seals.  Just a tad bit disappointed we didn't see any Humpbacks though... maybe next summer?

We also got to squeeze in a visit with cousins Henry and Louisa, who came up from Queens to visit us.  Unfortunately we had a rainy day so after lunch we took the kids to see Despicable Me 2 and then to the hotel for some pool time!  The kids had such a good time together, it was as if they'd seen each other just the week before.  Thanks guys for making the trip!  Also squeezing in a visit to NH was my Dad's cousins Richie and Gail.  The kids loved seeing them again since we used to visit each other so much when we lived in NJ.  It was a great two days spent together.  Thanks for coming up Richie and Gail!

It was an awesome summer and we've taken many wonderful and amazing memories back to Shanghai with us.  Thank you to my folks for putting up with us for five weeks!  Thank you to all my family and friends for taking time to visit with us and helping to make the summer so special, as always it went by too fast.  We miss you all and can not wait for next summer!

Exploring the flower market

I have been to my local flower and fish market many times since moving here, but I have never taken much time to explore the second floor until now.  The second floor is full of shops with fake flowers, frame shops, and other odds and ends.  This shop had all shape and size wood shelves and stands.  The smaller stands are often used to display decorative carvings of semi precious stones, jade being a popular one here in China.  Since this seemed to be the shop's niche, they had a huge variety including large shelves carved in the traditional Chinese style of a circle.  I find these shelves so beautiful and I've seen them many times and even found a shop that will build custom ones, which I am considering having done before our move.  Beyond the shelf shop I passed by other traditional wood carved furniture shops, some with stone carvings or huge stones larger than a basketball, displayed on stands.  There were rows of fake flowers shops that had every kind of flower imaginable.  I even found bamboo and other long sticks for sale at one shop. Of course with all these flowers there are also shops with ceramic and glass vases in a dizzying array!

I also found some beautiful ceramic pots which I plan to buy after I get back from our trip to NH.  Anyone who has bought a ceramic pot at a garden shop know how expensive they can be.  Here, they are a fraction of the cost.  I may not be able to bring my plants to the US but I can bring the pots!
Walking around a corner I came across a shop selling framed art work, including the Mona Lisa.  Despite the temptation I managed to pass on it.  After getting the two paintings we bought in Hong Kong and the embroidered scene from the water village we visited framed I am out of wall space... oh well!  I did see that you could have a photo turned into a painting.  That may be worth looking into, it might be nice to have a painting of the kids, and I can only imagine how expensive it would be to have done the in US.  Gotta take advantage of the perks that come with living in China!

I will say, one of the big perks, aside from the travel, is the variety of food!  Shanghai is without a doubt a very diverse city with a large international community.  As any expat can attest to, having a meal of some of your favorites from home can help with homesickness.  Whether this is the reason there is such a variety of restaurants or not I can't say.  I do love going out and trying new places though.  This week Eric took me to a Korean barbecue place.  Here you order your meats and then they bring you a huge tray of leafy greens, which is what you use to wrap up the meat, and several appetizers.  They cook the meat in front of you at your table and use scissors to cut it up.  By the time we finished lunch we were both stuffed!
I'm spending the rest of the week getting ready for our trip to NH.  I can't wait to spend time with my family and friends.  I am not exactly looking forward to the flight over though.  Hopefully with a backpack full of books and toys and the TV the kids will happy and quiet.  Fingers crossed!

Sofas, Sinks, and floors, oh my!

To celebrate the start of the summer and the end to his potty training, Charlie and I took a trip to the aquarium.  We had some fun checking out fish and other aquatic creatures from around the world.  He seemed to really enjoy running around from exhibit to exhibit peering into each tank.  It's not often its just the two of us and we had the added bonus of it being a really quiet morning at the aquarium.  He made me super proud when he asked to go to the potty, fingers crossed, we haven't had any accidents!  After we finished with the fish, we walked past the Oriental Pearl Tower to the Super Brand Mall, 13 floors of shops and restaurants, to pick up Charlie's reward for potty training.  Unfortunately, the little man was coming down with a cold and became a bit of a zombie following me around, not even the least bit excited about his prize.  We headed home for lunch, which he actually passed on, asking instead to go to bed.  Luckily he was 100% in just a few days.



Having finally had it with my rock hard Chinese sofa, for the life of me I can not figure that one out, I have been looking around for replacements. Last week I took a trip to Macalline.  Wow, is the only way to describe it.  This is 8 floors of shops that have absolutely everything you need to finish a house once it's built.  It was mostly broken up by floors, lighting, flooring, bathrooms, kitchens, and different styles of furniture.  I thought to start at the top and work my way down, so I took the 7 story escalator up and wandered around.  I'm continually amazed that the Chinese seem to prefer to have shops of the same kind grouped together.  So, I walked past shop after shop of light fixtures on one floor, hardwood flooring and windows on another, even staircases.

There were also a lot of furniture stores, but most of them were very asian in style, or Donald Trump, with gaudy being the theme!  Past all the gaudy furnishing, I made it to the floor with traditional wood Chinese furniture, which is all hand carved and truly beautiful works of art.  Lucas and I hope to bring home a few pieces with us, but have no room for them in our apartment right now.  Finally, on the lowest level I found shops with leather sofas and some fabric ones in a more Western style.   Unfortunately, nothing really impressed me.  By this time I was so done walking around this monster furniture store.  Should I have found myself hungry I could have stopped in at the cafeteria or picked up a quick snack at the convenince store.  I just headed home instead to rest my feet!

Graduation Day!

After being pulled out of two schools for relocations, Lily was finally able to finish out an entire year at one school.  During her time at Children's Montessori Lily has learned so much and grown in confidence.  This past friday parents were invited to the school to watch the children sing and dance and demonstrate some of the things they'd learned at school.  We were treated to two songs in Chinese and a Chinese style dance.  Lily may not have much of an interest in learning to speak or understand Chinese but she does love to sing in Chinese, as we heard the songs constantly around the apartment.

After the kids finished their songs and dance we had some snacks and tea while we waited for the other class to join us for the graduation ceremony.  After receiving their diploma both classes sang a song (in English) about all the things they could do now that they are graduating.  Lily and her fellow graduates were all given a personalized album with a class picture, pictures of their time at the school, and a drawing from each of her classmates.  They were also given a hand carved stamp with her name in both English and Chinese.  Both wonderful mementos of her time at Children's Montessori.  There were lots of hugs and pictures with her teachers and friends, but luckily it's only good bye for the weekend as most of her classmates will spend the next three weeks at summer school with Lily.  And, no, I'm not the meanest mom ever.  Summer school is a lot more like camp than school.  She'll get to spend time with her friends and keep busy instead of being bored at home with me and will be taking trips to the pool twice a week!

Not to be outdone by his sister, Charlie managed to potty train in just a week!  We had a few accidents our first two days, but once he fully grasped the concept of using the potty he hasn't had an accident since.  I do have to thank a fellow potty training mom for her inspirational idea of using Hot Wheels to motivate.  Between stickers, candy, and Hot Wheels, it was actually easy.  I know they say boys are harder, but not only was Charlie much easier than Lily, he also potty trained earlier than she did.  We've done a few outings in undies and managed to use public potties too.  We may be completely out of diapers soon as he's also waking up dry in the morning and using the potty without help!  For the first time in over five and half years I will not have to worry about carrying diapers with me when we travel, wonder where I might change my child, or if I have enough wipes on me.  Do you know how much space diapers a week of diapers take up in a suit case?!  To say I am happy about Charlie learning to use the potty would be an understatement.  I am doing a no more diaper dance as I type!

Potty Training

It's that time!  Mothers everywhere love/hate this time.  While I am thrilled at the idea of no more diapers, I do not look forward to the accidents and arguments about the potty.  Up to this point Charlie has not shown a lot of interest in learning to potty train, but with school this fall it has become a necessity.  I'm hoping to give him plenty of time to potty train so that it is not a stressful experience.  So, after talking to another mom about ideas, I've posted a chart on the bathroom door.  Each time he uses the potty he gets a Skittle and a sticker for his chart.  When he gets seven stickers he gets a Matchbox car.  Once fully potty trained he gets a Matchbox car holder.  He really wants the cars, so I'm hoping once he gets a couple of stickers he'll be more motivated.  In the interest in keeping him on the potty I've put it in front of the TV.  Once I think he's got the hang of using the potty I'll move it back to the bathroom.  I would love to be able to not travel with diapers this summer!  Fingers crossed!

We made a trip to Puxi this weekend to check out the Avocado Lady.  A bit of a Shanghai legend, she has a small market, and I do mean small, in a tiny Puxi neighborhood.  Although I've seen most of her import goods at City Shop, a chain that specializes in import foods, her prices are very good.  Probably not good enough for me to go on a regular basis with gas prices, but certainly worth a stop when I'm in Puxi.  Many were surprised to hear we hadn't been to the Avocado Lady after being in Shanghai for over a year and I'm glad we finally made the trip.

After our stop at the Avocado Lady we went to Xintandi and had lunch at the Pauliner, a German restaurant.  This is my second time going and definitely the last.  The food was only okay and for the four of us it was $100, and that's with the kids sharing a meal!  The only thing they do that is worth the expense is the Bavarian style pretzels.  With literally thousands of restaurants in Shanghai its not worth out time or money.